I'm curious why people think the iPhone needs 1GB RAM simply because other devices need 1GB RAM or it's been the same for a whole year. The amount of RAM you need is not dependent on the competition or the Earth's revolution around the Sun, but upon requirements specific to an OS and its apps.

I've had absolutely no issues with my iPhone 4's 512MB RAM in iOS 4.0 through 5.0. I have more RAM available to the system than with any other iPhone that came before it so unless Apple has some RAM heavy additions coming in iOS 6.0 next year I have trouble believing that they will double the RAM based on the reasons in this thread.

but but you need it for True Multitasking! (been enjoying that topic on the other thread this morning).

If the replacement for the iphone4 is to be the 4S... Then maybe we are looking at LTE. That would be one way of hitting the ball out of the park without changing the appearance of the phone. Ad please don't get me wrong... I LOVE my 4. It is a beautiful combination of design and function. I just cannot believe that Apple would wait 16 months to deliver a speed bump.... LTE might be the answer.

I've been trying to come up with a lifestyle that doesn't require my presence.

You've got to be kidding. What about Safari STILL flushing pages from memory and having to reload them once you go back to that particular tab? Happens all the time on my iPhone 4, which tells me that 512 MB ain't enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfiejr

don't you know that is one thing that iOS 5 specifically takes care of?

I did have a problem with that in iOS 3.x and 4.x on the original iPad with 256MB RAM. Some of the long time readers might remember that I returned my first iPad because of the Safari reloading issues.

I have never had a problem with that on any iPhone in any OS version.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

If the replacement for the iphone4 is to be the 4S... Then maybe we are looking at LTE. That would be one way of hitting the ball out of the park without changing the appearance of the phone. Ad please don't get me wrong... I LOVE my 4. It is a beautiful combination of design and function. I just cannot believe that Apple would wait 16 months to deliver a speed bump.... LTE might be the answer.

it's been reliably reported that AT&T is upgrading its hardware at some Apple stores. they certainly would be installing the latest stuff. that makes AT&T LTE support at least a very good bet. i don't know the technicalities involved, but Apple would be smart to have iPhone 5 "4G Ready" for all the new high speed data services being deployed now or next year by all the telcos. we'll see.

Like many, if this is a mild refresh, I will be very disappointed and likely jump to Droid. I have been nursing a 3GS along now on AT&T and have had it with failed batteries, buttons, dropped calls and slow 3G. I will be going to Verizon. I have waited for the 5 and now have seen what the droids have, especially the new ones with 1.5GHz processors, 4.3" or better AMOLED screens, LTE and the new Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS 4.0.

I can not see myself married for two years to a phone that is not LTE or has a smaller screen.

Apple may very well sell all 30M as China is now in the mix but this doesn't mean anything to me.

Finally, within the next few weeks it will becom clear and having waited for so long, it will either be excitement or anger- no in between.

My hope is that Apple is coming out with a state-of-the-art thin iPhone 5 with big screen and LTE and an improved "4S" which would explain the current confusion.

My fear is that the iPhone 5 was ready a while ago and "waiting" on iOS 5. This would be the "refreshed 4" scenario with the 5 coming next round.

Even with an improved antenna design, Apple's next-generation iPhone is expected to look largely the same as the current iPhone 4, and it will also feature the same amount of RAM: 512MB.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told AppleInsider on Monday that Apple's anticipated fifth-generation iPhone will sport the same 512MB of DRAM as the iPhone 4. In addition, the hardware will feature a glass front and back, just like the current iPhone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The so-called "iPhone 5" is also expected to have an improved antenna design, potentially addressing concerns that arose last year when it was discovered that covering the bottom left corner of the iPhone 4 could reduce reception. Though the antenna will be improved, Kuo indicated there will be little change to its shape, and users will not see a discernable difference in its appearance.

only the immature and self asorbed give a hoot about the iphones looks. Sales would be impacted one bit because what is insides is what sells iphone. Given that the analyst here could very well be talking about a lower cost iphone 4. No body knows what apple has up it's sleeves.

I'd be satisfied if it had an A5 chip an 4in screen. If it stick with the same 3.5in screen, that will guarantee that I will pick up whatever the next official google phone is instead (ie. nexus prime). I use the phone for so many things, that bit of extra screen size is huge for me.

Double tapping the home button and choosing the app to switch to both wear out my home button and takes too much time. I dont mind if the home button is still a physical button, but I want a way to quick switch apps like the iPad and the 4/5 finger gestures. I believe this will be done with a touch sensitive area near the home button in this generation of devices.

sigh.

have you ever actually worn out your home button? know anybody whose home button got worn out by excessive clicking?

the spec bumps will be quite impressive, but not "freak out" stuff. faster processor, improved battery, improved retina display, first CDMA/GSM world phone, LTE at least, great camera. and iOS 5, with all its convenience improvements, will be a tremendously popular update.

but the big news this time is the Apple Ecosystem. iCloud, iTunes Match, AirPlay/Mirroring, etc.. these will greatly expand what you can do with all your Apple products and how they seamlessly work with each other. including the updated iPod line that will be unveiled at the same time, and of course the iPad. you can bet Apple will promote all this to the max with spiffy new TV ads.

so will people stand in line for the iPhone 5 like before (your "freak out," i assume)? not as much as last time, i think. a bit calmer this time ...

if this is what the new "4S" offers, that's a great "spec bump." the ecosystem is growing in relative market importance, while the hardware - as long as it is up to date for upgraded telco services - is becoming more standardized. but even then, there is more to camera quality than hardware megapixels - software really makes a big difference too, and Apple's camera processing software is among the very best.

and maybe some gadget junkies buy a new phone every year to have the latest and greatest specs, paying the additional early termination fee. but like most people, i get one every two years when my telco contract rolls over. so i'll be going from a 3GS to a 4S, certainly a big jump. everyone on a two year cycle gets a big jump by skipping one in-between model.

of course Android is somewhat different. there wasn't even an Android phone worth keeping for two years until early this year.

Like many, if this is a mild refresh, I will be very disappointed and likely jump to Droid. I have been nursing a 3GS along now on AT&T and have had it with failed batteries, buttons, dropped calls and slow 3G. I will be going to Verizon. I have waited for the 5 and now have seen what the droids have, especially the new ones with 1.5GHz processors, 4.3" or better AMOLED screens, LTE and the new Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS 4.0.

I can not see myself married for two years to a phone that is not LTE or has a smaller screen.

Apple may very well sell all 30M as China is now in the mix but this doesn't mean anything to me.

Finally, within the next few weeks it will becom clear and having waited for so long, it will either be excitement or anger- no in between.

My hope is that Apple is coming out with a state-of-the-art thin iPhone 5 with big screen and LTE and an improved "4S" which would explain the current confusion.

My fear is that the iPhone 5 was ready a while ago and "waiting" on iOS 5. This would be the "refreshed 4" scenario with the 5 coming next round.

If the form factor doesn't change, they probably won't get a lot of iPhone 4 users upgrading right away, but whatever they release will be reason enough for anyone with an expiring or expired 2 year contract (i.e., 3GS and earlier users) to take the plunge.

I personally really like the iPhone form factor and will be quite happy if they keep it, but ultimately it's what's inside the phone that counts. I need a better camera and LED light, and would enjoy the faster processor for IOS 5 As long as the home button works reliably, I really don't care which form it takes.

Then you will be disappointed and learn a valuable lesson about spec sheets.

No, I will not be disappointed. I just went to an ATT store and played with Samsung Infuse. The 4.5" super AMOLED+ screen is gorgeous, like nothing out there: I could not take my hands off it. The Galaxy 2S on top of that will also be faster, with higher capacity battery, and more goodies.

But new iPhones have invariably been the thinnest upon their release. Are they going to break that trend?

Does it really matter? Late 1990s or so silly mobile phone manufacturers had this thing of who could make the smallest phone. Nokia made some really tiny ones with antenna problems.

Being the most compact doesn't truly matter past a certain point. I don't know how much thinner phones will go but I can't see the current thickness as a reason not to buy. It doesn't feel bulky, heavy, or bulge pockets. Am I missing something here?

I wish Apple would do something about the home button. I've never had a cell phone where the buttons worked for the duration of my contract, and sadly my 3GS is no different.

The home button (the only button on the stinking phone) only works intermittently and it's quite frustrating because I love my iPhone otherwise. I will probably fork over $200 for another one because no other phones are any better, but I would really love it if Apple found another way to get to the home screen without using this damned button.

If all you care about are specs, you don't have any reason to have an iPhone, anyway.

I suppose all you care about is what, iOS? Sorry but iOS vs LTE, AMOLED screen, 4.5" screen with the next Android is not a "No-Brainer" add to that the iOS experience eroded by AT&T and my iPhone is awesome still but increasingly vulnerable. Maybe you should "look around" and not just go with the herd.

iOS is great, but it's not everything and in this case, it might not be enough.

And in my defense, An iPhone 5 WITH LTE and a larger screen IS A NO BRAINER for me. So don't tell me I'm wasting your time. Try thinking, it might hurt, but it's good for you.

Too bad. I'm getting clearer by the day. Look. We don't know what the 5 or 4S is going to be like until its out.

The info trickling out now is not good. NO evidence of advanced or "even modestly" different iPhone parts in the supply chain. This is not boding well for my hopes. I don't want to go, but a two year contract is a long time in tech. No LTE, same design, same screen.

Very disappointing if this is all it is. Steve exists and the place goes bland . . . .

Yeah. Of course, the new iPhone 5 was designed last week. It's not like this was something that has been in development for the past 6+ months with the hardware specs probably being finalized 3 or 4 months ago... Oh wait, that's exactly what this it. You may have a worthwhile argument here if the iPhone 6 is a flop, but this one would realistically be Steve's last baby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by solipsism

So they can change every major internal component for the better but if they maintain 512MB it'll be exactly like the iPhone 4? Good one¡

I think the point here is that if the low end rumors are true this is a very un-sexy update. I mean the faster processor and better camera are not exactly the blow your skirt up kind of things. Now, I definitely think that the processor upgrade is a great move, and this is also true for the camera upgrade... I think the point is that people are hoping/expecting more from Apple than an incremental upgrade.

Personally, I would love to see a LTE phone with a 4" Retina display and 1GB of RAM to go along with the processor and camera upgrades. I think these would make for a blow you away kind of upgrade. I think the least likely of these is the LTE chip since I really don't think Apple is ready to make the battery life sacrifice. But boy would that kind of speed be SWEET...

If this is true, I ain't buying. I doubt this guy is legit. Probably a propagandist for Apple.

To disrupt their normal release cycle and keep us waiting for over a year, I doubt they're going to offer a minor upgrade to such an "old" phone. The only reason I can see for staying with 512MB RAM is that iOS 5 is a lot more efficient than iOS 4.

Agreed. The thinner build with a bigger screen design and a touch sensitive home button for app switching would be enough to sell me.

Just an A5 chip and world phone capabilities would bore me. Apple knows how to add new features when they're necessary to make sure demand is greater than supply. It'll be different enough that it'll get lots of hype.

Otherwise same with me, Im keeping my iPhone 4 with iOS 5.

As well you should; it's too soon to be replacing an iPhone 4. I'm close to contract time for my 3GS, and glad to see they may be fixing (ahem... *improving*) the antenna. If that's the case, and battery life stays where it is or improves, I'll be glad to upgrade to a 5, or 4.1 or 4S, whatever they call it. Facetime and improved camera will be icing on the cake. iPhone4 people can look forward to iPhone 6

Agreed. The thinner build with a bigger screen design and a touch sensitive home button for app switching would be enough to sell me....

I think there are far more people who like the iPhone 4 design than there are that prefer the proposed newer, iPad like design. The thing you describe that would make you buy it, is the exact thing that would make me *not* buy it.

I don't want a bigger phone or a bigger screen, I certainly don't want it to be flat with sharp edges like the iPad. I could see a smaller iPad, or a larger iPod touch, but if the phone is getting any bigger than it's (already fairly portly) size, I don't want it and I think the majority of buyers would agree.

I would agree to some extent that a larger screen is eventually going to be a must in the iPhone. I'm looking at all my friends who have recently picked up android phones (gs II and htc sensation among others) and my poor little 3GS, while capable, looks quite old school now. I've never been good at the virtual keyboard, but pecking around on the 3GS is far more painful for me that it is on phone with larger screens. Even another 1/2 inch would help.